Alaska's voter initiative legalizing marijuana use takes effect Tuesday, making it the third state, along with Colorado and Washington, to legalize recreational marijuana. The ballot, which was approved by voters in November, allows adults 21 and older to possess up to an ounce of marijuana and up t....... [more]

The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled on Friday that Alaska's lawsuit challenging the Roadless Rule can be heard because it falls within the statute of limitations. This decision overturns the ruling by the US District Court of the District of Columbia that dismissed Ala....... [more]

Voters in Alaska, Oregon and Washington, DC, voted Tuesday to legalize recreational marijuana. In Alaska Measure 2, which passed with 52 percent of the vote, legalized recreational marijuana use for adults over the age of 21, allowing adults to "possess, use, show, buy, transport, or grow set amo....... [more]

US Attorney General Eric Holder on Saturday announced that the federal government will recognize same sex marriage in six additional states. The addition of Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, North Carolina, West Virginia and Wyoming will now bring the total number of states recognizing same-sex marriage to 32....... [more]

As of Friday same-sex marriage has become legal in Arizona, Wyoming and Alaska. US District Courts for the Districts of Arizona and Wyoming struck down same-sex marriage bans in Wyoming and Arizona, respectively, on Friday. Additionally the US Supreme Court rejected a petition by Alaska to stay th....... [more]

A judge for the US District Court for the District of Alaska on Sunday overturned Alaska's same-sex marriage ban. Five same-sex couples living in Alaska brought the action pursuant to 42 USC § 1983 and filed a motion for summary judgement. Judge Timothy Burgess found that Alaska's ban on same-s....... [more]

The Supreme Court of Alaska on Friday ruled that a lawsuit claiming that officials have failed in their obligations to address climate change was rightfully dismissed in 2012, but not for the reasons cited by the lower court. The plaintiffs in the case were six children who originally filed the law....... [more]

Five same-sex couples on Monday challenged Alaska's constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. The lawsuit, filed in the US District Court for the District of Alaska, contends that the amendment, added to the Alaska Constitution in 1998, violates their due process and equal protection rig....... [more]

The Alaska Supreme Court ruled on Friday that prisons have a duty to protect inmates from violence at the hands of other inmates. The ruling will allow a lawsuit by a former inmate, Richard Mattox, to continue in the lower courts. Mattox was attacked by inmates after receiving several threats while....... [more]

The Alaska State House of Representatives on Monday passed a bill that would restrict state Medicaid payments for abortions. The bill sets forth specific medical circumstances under which physicians may deem an abortion "medically necessary," thereby justifying Medicaid reimbursement. The bill defin....... [more]

The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 passed both houses of Congress by large margins and was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush in response to the Exxon Valdez spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska. It mandates detailed clean-up plans from oil companies and requires monies to be set aside for de....... [more]